Taylor McCloud
Taylor Hand McClellan was a , former Systems Alliance recruit, and a member of the exploration vessel, the MSV Aetherius's security team. He is one of the main protagonist in Mass Effect: Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy. Taylor was born on Earth, and was a citizen of the United North American States. He grew up in Orlando, Florida and through his youth and teenage years was care free, and a known Biotiball hooligan. After graduating high school he was pushed into enlisting in the Alliance by his mother as he had no direction for his future. However, his stint in the Alliance didn't even make it through boot camp. After being shifted to an advanced biotic training program, Taylor quickly grew annoyed with the thought of a future in the military, however he stuck it out. A year into his training, Taylor, along with several other cadets were discharged and the program as a whole was shut down after the death of a trainee. After returning to Orlando, he enrolled in college and returned to the hooligan scene once he completed his rehabilitation. Years later, Taylor had once again grown discontent with life, and at this time, with the help of family friend, Lance Shaw he landed a job as apart of the security force the MSV Aetherius, a deep space exploration vessel, joining the crew on an expedition into the Outer Rim, in search of an ancient treasure known as the Dark Heart. Biography Early Life Born on Earth, in the United North American States, the first son of Wendy and Vaughn McClellan but the 4th between the two's previous marriages. He grew up in Orlando, at the heart of Florida. During his mother's pregnancy she was exposed to Element Zero, and as a result of this Taylor was a , and throughout his youth was enrolled in various programs to help him hone and control his abilities. Early on in life he developed a passion for Biotiball and began to play throughout middle school and high school. In his senior year of school, Taylor's father passed away, and he regressed, stumbling his way through his final year of school and graduating, without many aspirations of what he wanted to do next. He was soon pushed by his mother into joining Systems Alliance in 2267 CE, and shipped out for boot camp, before being relocated into a Biotic training program. However, his time in the Alliance didn't even progress through training. He quickly grew discontent with the military life and sought a way out. He completed his training for the most part, and was running ops exercises in the Rocky Mountains. During the training ops an issue occurred, and the result was a botched mission, and the death of one of the cadets. Taylor along with several other's were discharged in relation to the event. Taylor himself felt extreme guilt over the situation, knowing he was partially at fault, and did what he did an attempt to get kicked out of the Alliance, but no one was supposed to get hurt, let alone die. After returning to Earth, he continued his previous life, working in retail and attending biotiball games, even becoming a hooligan. He enrolled in college, though was undecided on his major, and shifted through various classes. Soon Taylor came to be bored with his life, and like he did in the Alliance, began to search for a way out. In 2271 CE, a long time family friend, Lance Shaw offered him just that. Lance had been working as a part of security force for hire, this time he and his coworkers had been hired to provided protection for a deep space exploration on board the MSV Aetherius to the Outer Rim. Lance offered Taylor a position on his team, which he accepted. Now he was fascinated, and extactic with the thought of adventure and seeing the galaxy. The Search for the Dark Heart On November 8th, 2171 CE Taylor arrived at the Orlando Memorial Spaceport where he awaited Lance. After meeting up with Lance the two headed for the Aetherius's docking bay, much to the relief of Taylor who had become annoyed by the cluttered spaceport. Upon reaching the hangar bay, they met with several members of the ship's crew, Captain Kasper Martial, Erinn Winters, Eliae Aemon, and the Iyra Aldonia. After being toured through the ship, Lance introduced Taylor to the other members of the security force, namely a , Morkgul Rhoen, and a Saelian Praxiun. Though the former was surprisingly friendly, Saelian was rather hostile towards Taylor. Afterwards, Taylor headed for the bridge once more as the ship took flight. There he, along with Erinn and the pilot Eliae began to socialize. The Aetherius hit the Sol Mass Effect Relay and made it's jump into deep space, and this left Taylor in awe, and a sense of elation swept over him as he finally was setting out on his dream. He conversed with Eliae and Erinn for sometime, getting to know the two before heading back below deck. There he ran into Iyra once again, along with Abigail Mangjeol, the Aetherius's medical officer. Though he focused a tad bit more on getting to know Iyra he talked with two of them for a short time, before heading for his bunk in an attempt to sleep. The Vault of Zerxia As time had past, Taylor's restlessness kept waking him up, and eventually Lance informed him they were approaching planet that the Aetherius would be landing on, and that he would be joining the ground team on their expedition on Zerxia. The news sent adrenaline through Taylor's system, as he couldn't wait to see a new world for the first time. He headed to the bridge after dallying in the equipment room for sometime. Once there, he was left in awe at the sight of the world, and entering the atmosphere. After they landed he returned to the armory, running into Iyra once again to find out she too would be joining the ground crew. Once in the armory he had another aggressive confrontation with Saelian, only to have it broken up by Rhoen. A friendlier face then introduced himself to Taylor, Nidel Aekso, a and fellow member of the team. Taylor questioned him about their goal on the planet, but Nidel too was unaware, just that they'd be providing security. He then armed himself and headed for outside of the ship, once again becoming mesmerized by the snowy world, now seeing it in person. His awe was interrupted by Iyra, who coaxed the human into a race to the rover, winner received driving privileges, Taylor would lose in this race. The group led the way in their rover, flanked by two others carrying the research team, Lance, Saelian, and Rhoen. As they pounded through the blizzard, Taylor asked and was informed by Iyra as to what they were doing on the planet. The research team, led by Doctor Roy Albrighton was searching for an ancient long lost city, from the Prothean cycle, evidence from previous expeditions, implied that clues to its the city's whereabouts were on Zerxia, in an old Prothean military compound. They eventually reached the abandoned base, and its desolate eerie nature put Taylor, and most of the others in a state of uncertainty. They located the central bunker, a small pyramid shaped structure, and Lance ordered Taylor and Nidel to guard the outside while they investigated. The group however, set off a trap after entering the bunker's main hallway, sealing themselves inside via a stasis field. Taylor and Nidel set off to find a power source to free their allies, and Taylor located the generator. Before he could disable it however, a massive Utha beast leaped from one of the Prothean ruins and attacked Taylor. Nidel managed to intervene, drawing the creature away from Taylor and leading it to the rovers. Taylor pursued, in an attempt to help Nidel, who was trying to retrieve his particle cannon to kill the beast. The Utha was too quick though, stopping Nidel and pinning him against the wall, savaging him, but he continued to draw its attention as he fired rounds into the beast, calling for Taylor to get the cannon. In shock still, Taylor managed to gather the weapon and slay the massive hulk, but Nidel had already been fatally wounded. Taylor attempted to revive him with medi-gel, but his wounds were too severe. He then returned to the bunker, destroying the generator and freeing the others. Iyra rushed to make sure he was okay, but the shock of everything that happened was too much. As Lance and the others found Nidel's body, Saelian confronted Taylor, blaming him for Nidel's death, but Taylor lashed back, only for Lance to pull them apart. He ordered Saelian to guard the entrance and Taylor to follow them inside. Once inside of the vault, Taylor needed a moment to rebuild his composure, and Iyra stayed behind to console him, as the others headed down the lift. After pushing through the emotions, thanks to Iyra's help, the two were contacted by Rhoen, suggesting their was something they needed to see. He returned on the lift and brought them down into a massive corridor, filled with cryo pods. After they regrouped with the others, Quell suggested the pods were inactive, a grim thought for Taylor as he now wondered if they were standing in a crypt. They pressed on, into the main chamber to find a sealed observatory, and split up into groups to find a way to open it. Taylor and Iyra went with Roy, locating the security post of the bunker. On the way, Roy helped open the two's eyes to adventure, that they would endure loss, but they would gain so much more, and that's why they came out all this way. After locating the security console, Roy discovered the pods were all empty, much to the relief of Iyra and Taylor, but they had never even been activated, dismissing the chance of any of the Protheans surviving. After Roy unlocked the door, they returned to the others and entered the observatory, accessing a Prothean VI that confirmed, they were on the right trail to discovering the Heart of Vey'Kosa, or as the Protheans called it, the Dark Heart. The VI informed them that the Protheans waged war with Vey'Kosa and his people, the Tekuunan centuries before the Protheans, and that Vey'Kosa used the power of the Dark Heart, wielding it as a weapon, but he and his last loyal servants were sealed beneath the Earth on Numia due to Prothean bombardment, not before, the Protheans retrieved the Key to the Heart, and sealed it in the bunker. Centuries later, they attempted to excavate the Heart, intent on using it against the Reaper invaders, but were beaten. Instead, they planned to seal away a Prothean population within the vault, release them from stasis following the war, and set out to locate the Heart, refine it, and use it against the Reapers in the next cycle. The Bunker's director was indoctrinated however, and prevented the mission from ever happening. Roy unlocked the vault, and upon seeing the key, tried to remove it, only to be hurt by the barrier surrounding it. Instead, Olassia, using her biotics breached the barrier and grabbed the key, but as she touched it, it collapsed, and fused into her, much to her disbelief, Taylor's and everyone else's in the room. Quell scanned her, confirming she was okay, but the coding was now within her, effectively making her into the Key. As they prepared to leave, Iyra suggested to Taylor, they definitely had some kind of adventure on their hands. Tensions Back on the Aetherius Upon returning to the Aetherius, Taylor was largely ignored by the rest of the security team, he believed the reason was due to Nidel's death. Before long, Saelian entered, immediately blaming Taylor for Nidel's death, but this time, tensions hit the boiling point after Saelian used Taylor's Alliance past against him, and a brawl started. Most of the security team, and half the crew gathered to watch, but before long, both Kasper and Lance arrived to break it up. After which, Kasper threatened he'd launch the two of them out of the airlock if anything like that ever happened again. Iyra stayed behind in the armory to talk Taylor through his anger, who was also feeling bad, worried how the Asari, and the others would judge, after hearing the rumors of him being involved with a death in the Alliance while he served. But Iyra didn't care, reminded him that no one else should either. Before Iyra left the room, Taylor couldn't help but feel the need to flirt with her, and landed a semi successful attempt. Though he hadn't been on the ship long, he saw the Asari as a silver lining almost. Lance returned shortly after, laying into Taylor about the fight, but reminding him he still wants him on board. Pub Brawl on Altakiril and Jail House Tunes The ship eventually landed on Altakiril, a pirate world with in the Terminus Systems, controlled by the Wumara Gang. Taylor, after exiting the Aetherius, met up with Iyra, and the two of them, along with Eliae and Erinn set out into Port Wumara. Almost right away, Taylor noticed the massive amount of homeless refugees, and after discovering they were victims of the war between the Exodus Dominion and the Attican Resistance Allegiance, he couldn't help but be overcome with a feeling of despair and sorrow. They continued on, taking in the sights of the rough city, but Taylor was nonetheless, impressed, just at how different this place was. Iyra the entire time was acting nervous, avoiding the eyes of the Wumara pirate guards, and eventually, after spotting a guard with a scanner, she pulled Taylor aside, having him embrace her as if they were a couple. Taylor, though enjoying it, couldn't help but be confused as to why Iyra was trying to avoid the guards, and the two flirtatiously bantered back and forth, even after the guards had passed. Eliae however, broke up the moment after Taylor jokingly asked Iyra on a date. Iyra, after realizing she been lost in the moment, embarrassingly paced off, leading the others to a pub, the Terminus's End. She then headed off on her own, not before Taylor asked about dinner once again, to which Iyra clumsily waltzed off with a goofy smile and her hands in the air. Taylor then headed into the pub, where he, Eliae, and Erinn got drinks and started discussing their likes and dislikes. Their conversation eventually escalated to Star Wars politics, with Taylor steadfast in his support of the rebellion, while Erinn was the opposite in favor of the Empire. Once they realized they were legitimately getting carried away over sci-fi politics, they changed subjects. Shortly after, Saelian walked into the pub, and he and Taylor made eye contact for a moment, but there were no hostilities as the turian headed straight to the bar. Erinn and Eliae proceeded to slander Saelian, but Taylor was now starting to feel sympathetic towards him. It was then the turian was confronted by several batarians in the pub, who pressed him over his military service in the Batarian Incursions. Taylor, seeing his crew mate outnumbered, approached to back him up, disregarding the advice of Erinn and Eliae. The batarians refused to back down still, and Taylor called over Rhoen, in an attempt to dissuade them. However, though now clearly nervous, they still outnumbered the three, so Taylor went ahead and started the fight, smashing a bottle into the leaders head. In the ensuing skirmish, Taylor mauled through the batarian thugs, splitting his own head own with a head butt, and spearing one of the thugs through a table. Ultimately, the Altakiril police arrived, and arrested the group. They were taken to the Altakiril City jail and placed in a holding cell, where they anxiously awaited Kasper's arrival, wondering if they'd even get out of the cell. It was then, Taylor started reminiscing the scenes of the fight, getting the others involved and breaking the nervous atmosphere as they all laughed. Eliae then attempted to stake his own claim from the fight, only to be ridiculed for hiding behind the bar the whole time. So the ever charismatic drell played his embarrassment into something more, as he started singing "I Will Survive" and ultimately got the others involved in the act. As they enjoyed the excitement of a little jailhouse dance, Taylor noticed Kasper, watching them with displeasure on his face, and it soon caught the attention of the others, and they stopped their festivities. Kasper then warned them they'd be left in port if they ever did anything like that fight again, but he then changed his tune, stating he wished he was there to "beat some batarian ass". With the 180, the crew cheered as they were released from jail, and headed back to the ship. As Taylor exited the jail, there was Iyra waiting for him, and he discovered she was the reason they got out of jail so easily, but the asari wouldn't divulge how she completed the feat. Saelian also stopped, praising Taylor for his fighting skills before continuing ahead, much to the surprise of both Iyra and Taylor. Attack Over Numia A week went by since they left Altakiril, the Aetherius was making the slow voyage into the outer rim. On November 21st however, the Aetherius was attack by an unknown assailant, while Taylor was caught sleeping. He was awoken by the sounds of the frigate being peppered with cannons, and Lance calling for him. After being informed of the situation the two attempted to make their way to the escape pods. En route to the pods, they found themselves locked with in a corridor due to a breach in the ship's hull. While attempting to unlock the corridor, the Aetherius was hit and the hallway ruptured, Taylor reacted with his biotics and clang to the ship while the Lance was pulled into the vacuum, just beyond Taylor's reach and into to space, where he died. Taylor, his hardsuit sustaining him, managed to pull himself to safety and open the sealed pressure door to get back into the damaged ship. He then staggered his way to the escape pods, where one lifeboat remained, and he managed to haul himself into the pod and launch it, before blacking out and succumbing to his exhaustion. Description Physical Description Taylor is fit and stout, muscular for his size, like a rugby player. Standing at only 175.26 Cm, (5.9 Ft), and 72 kg (160 Lbs), he is broad across his chest and shoulders, and had long, lean but thick muscled arms, and stocky, solid legs. His thighs have been referred to as "crater makers", and he puts a heavy emphasis in lower body strength. He has a slightly rounded face, a somewhat larger forehead than most, a strong jaw, small ears, and an arched nose. His eyes are a dark blue-green, and most of the time a thin 5 O'clock shadow is stretched across his jaw. He sports a faded comb over and keeps the hair along the side of his head tight. He was a fan of easy to put on and easy to remove clothing. Outside of combat situations, be it on the Phoenix, or in public, he strictly wore sweats, or fitted track suits and sneakers, ADIDAS brand specifically. Occasionally, he has been known to favor will fitted, tight, tailored suits in special occasions. In combat, Taylor adorns the Hyperguardian Armor set, with a matte black coating and green and white patterns along the arms and chest of the armor. Personality An enigmatic personality, Taylor is often considered to be kind, friendly, driven and compassionate, and goofy by those close to him. From and outside perspective, those who don't know him occasionally see him as cold, short, and uninterested in much besides himself. Outside of this dominant trait he is competitive, honest, intuitive, and temperamental. He is a very caring person, who looks out for his friends. He is compassionate and loyal to those he cares about, and he values the galaxy as a whole, a willingness to sacrifice everything for the sanctity of life. His views are quite broad, and despite that he had never left Earth until 2271, he had an amazing grasp on galactic cultures. He is a fierce competitor who thrives in stressful situations, and always aims to make the most out of what he has in life. A constant desire to win has pushed him through life. Effectively he has made himself an unbreakable shell that is unwilling to quit, though this often has gotten him in trouble from time to time. Many people who aren't well acquainted with him, see him as rude and vain. Though true to an extent, being that Taylor has a high opinion of himself. He is borderline antisocial, often by nature avoiding contact with strangers and keeping it short and to the point if he must socialize with others. However, he recognizes this downside to his personality, and often sought to improve his hostile nature. An obsession with being entirely independent has guided him in his development. Though he was not always as confident as he became, years of positive reinforcement has left him mentally sound and trained. Unafraid to be judgmental and speak his mind Taylor is willing to step beyond boundaries to make a point, leaving him with the appearance of a 'jerk'. He is compassionate towards almost everything, always having an opinion on something and typically clashing with others. These clashes do not bother him however, as he loves voicing his own, and hearing other's opinions. Taylor wholeheartedly supports the ideals of freedom, such as freedom of speech, press, expression, sexuality, and so forth. And despite standing against the views of many, he respects their opinions, understanding it's their freedom to have those opinions. He appreciates diversity in society as well, and has admitted he 'loves' people in general, though this often is conflicted by his reluctance to deal with others. He has been very eternally conflicted since being discharged from the Alliance, this all ties to the botched training missions that resulted in a death, and the end of his service in the Alliance. Many believe he is plagued by a short temper, which is true to an extent. Taylor despises losing, something that does indeed trigger his anger, as well as sports. Incivility, rudeness and arrogance are all other attitudes that have burned him. He has a difficult time taking orders or being oppressed, this has often pushed him into clashing heads with some, partially the reason he dropped out of the Alliance. The temper issues are so specific however, as there are very few acts outside of what was mentioned that anger him. His inability to take orders was his downfall in the Alliance, as well as the thought of someone else dictating what he would do in the future. Taylor always considered himself a free spirit and longed for adventure and to see the galaxy. He has one activity he is clearly passionate about, working out, often exercising and training when ever he gets the chance, this consumes most of his free time. He believes a strong body will keep him alive in a firefight. The competitiveness factors into this as well, pushing him physically even more as he uses it as a stress reliever. His focus isn't only on physical training however, as Taylor is obsessed with knowledge, specifically science and history. He is also an avid Biotiball fan, and a steadfast supported of the Orlando City Biotiball Club. Relationships Abilities Powers= *'Fitness:' Taylor possessed wild-man like fitness, a true berserk, he channeled his hard trained body into action, increasing his strength and power output while maintaining an intense, pressure oriented pace while on the attack. *'Concussive Shot:' Via his weapon, Taylor can fire a single high-powered projectile into an enemy creating a high impact explosive consuming several meters in radius, effectively killing anything in the area of effect. *'Lift Grenade:' Taylor can utilize a lift grenade to detonate biotic combos and destroy barriers. *'Biotics:' An extremely powerful and potent biotic, Taylor carries with him a wide variety of biotic abilities. These attacks are strengthened by his lack of control, though not always accurate, they are deadly and devastating. He employs talents such as lance, shockwave, nova, flare, annihilation field, the biotic arrow, and his personal favorite, a ghastly biotic charge he uses to maul enemies. *'Barrier:' With the hazardous of CQC combat comes extra protection, Taylor deploys a strong bitoic barrier while engaged in combat, offering extra optimal protection from close range light infantry projectiles. *'Assault Mastery:' Taylor was a master of getting up close in personal, and though not refined nor clinical in his abilities, he more than made up for it with his tenacity and constant pressure. He seemed to let instinct take control and this provides him with a distinct advantage in assault situations. |-| Abilities= *'Incredible Biotic Strength:' "Unleash the Beast" was Taylor's motto in regards to his biotic strength, he could easily be considered one of the most dangerous biotics in the galaxy. He employed his biotics in every way, so outside of just popular abilities, he infused his biotics with every punch, kick, and movement, to almost super human levels. These boost allowed him to maul opponents with his biotics, and his powers were all the stronger as well. His biotic charge alone was likely to kill someone, a full grown krogan possibly, and Taylor was all the confident he could breach a group of enemies and wipe them out within seconds. *'Above Peak Human Lower Body Strength: '''Taylor's lower body has been referred to as "crater makers" and "world destroyers", due to the incredible strength and power within them. He is very bottom heavy in regards to his stature and build, and on a clean, non biotic squat, could rep more than 500 pounds. He prides himself on hes legs. His kicks and knees are bone crushing, and he has the tendency to throw them with out caution for his own safety. *'Advanced Physical Conditioning:' Though not the most adept in regards to personal cardio, Taylor is a physical machine, at his smaller height but packed frame, he is nearly impossible to topple. Though his leg strength is paramount, the rest of his body isn't far behind, and he trains daily. His tolerance for pain is incredibly high, and his ability to form endorphins and push through muscle failure is seemingly inhuman. *'Advanced Speed and Agility:' Taylor was quick, agile, and rather fast, though his strength was in the former. His thick legs limited his front line speed slightly, but his paramount hip movement made him an agility machine. This combined with his overpowered core made him lightning quick, able to seamlessly dodge enemies and attack. *'Pup-Brawlers Mentality:' Resourceful was the best way to describe Taylor in close-combat situations. He used anything to his advantage, even his body he would sacrifice to win an engagement. This was all to make up for his moderate martial arts skills. He relied on his tenacity, pressure, and strength to pummel opponents, using an arsenal of headbutts, knees, elbows, and what ever he could get his hands on. He also could tolerate just about any beating, and in fact, seeing his own blood, or any blood at all for that matter, just made him all the more volatile and dangerous. *'Vanguard Training:' Combining the talents of Alliance Soldier and Adept training, Taylor was an exemplary vanguard, he held those lessons from Alliance basic close to his heart. A specialist in close combat involving assault and biotic tactics. *'Assault Rifle Mastery:' His favorite weapon to use in combat is assault rifle, short burst, high impact to be specific. He scored the highest grades in his basic training and was considered a top CQC marksman. *'Broad Intellect:' Though no Einstein, Taylor was incredibly intelligent due to his hard working attitude. While living on Earth, he attended a numerous variety of college courses simply to broaden his horizons, and retains information very well. He also actively seeks new knowledge and thrives to learn. *'Leader By Example:' Nice to the core to those he surrounds himself with, Taylor has often had issue with verbally scolding others in order to point them in the right direction. He is however, a text-book leader by example, often always volunteering to be the first to try something, to show others the way, and to teach through visible representation. *'Unbreakable Iron Will:' By far Taylor's most exceptional trait was his iron will, he was virtually unbreakable. He was a man that thrived on his emotions and the others emotions, a factor that could often hamper people. Quite the opposite for Taylor, his failures and victories pushed him equally, each one set a fire under him that guided him. Even at the point of beyond exhaustion, Taylor fought, Taylor pushed and often found a way to succeed. He has a nothing to lose mentality that guides him, and even against the bleakest outlooks, he will stand in defiance, and swing the hardest he can(Both metaphorically and literally). |-| Weaknesses= *'Emotional Exhaustion:' Taylor, as mentioned before is a very emotional person, not just in regards to himself, but to others as well, he can almost (unintentionally) replicate that feelings that those around him endure. This can cause momentary shifts in his mood, mistakes, even outburst of rage that might lead to him "biting off more than he can chew". He invest himself in those he cares about, and can often give too much for them, endangering both parties. *'Lack of Biotic Control:' Though powerful, Taylor lacks biotic control, his accuracy, precision, and delivery can all suffer due to this. However, in hindsight, his pressure and constant stream of attack makes up for this flaw. *'Disregard For His Own Safety:' A consequence of the biotic berserker mentality, but Taylor shows no regard for his own safety, and will often batter himself while battering others. A countermeasure however, seems to be Taylor's adrenaline levels thrive off this behavior, allowing him to fight through the damage. Appearances *Mass Effect: Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy **COSG: The Dark Heart Quotes Trivia *Taylor was originally slotted to be the main character, but was later shifted to the roll of 2nd lead, behind Iyra Aldonia. *It was also planned for Taylor to be a biotic super soldier that was freed from Cerberus, and had his memory wiped. This plan was purged however. *The retail job he had was target. *Taylor's major was sports medicine. *He is an avid supporter of the Orlando City Biotiball Team, as well as the Orlando City Soccer Club, and operated as a hooligan. He is also a supporter of the Newcastle United Football Club. *Taylor wholeheartedly, adores Asari, and prefers them over humans. *He does not drink alcohol. *An avid supporter of ADIDAS. Related Pages *Iyra Aldonia *Systems Alliance *MSV Aetherius *Saelian Praxiun *Erinn Winters *Roy Albrighton Category:Humans Category:Articles by WolfOfTheEast Category:Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy Category:Biotics Category:Vanguard Category:COSG